Reference no: EM133381886

Case Study: Tractors, Harvesting equipment, and other Agricultural gear are produced by CREUSE. It runs out of a single integrated office and plant close to the nation's capital. Every piece of equipment is made to order for customers because there is a limited market for it and it is expensive to produce each unique piece. There are no finished goods inventories kept, but there are spare parts stocks that can be purchased. One of the 20 sales reps offers the farm owners the farm equipment. In order to complete a deal, the representative typically meets with the farm owner to go through his or her needs. The representative's printed instructions include basic price and model specification information. The agent then calls the CREUSE office to confirm that the order can be made with production personnel, to check on the price, and to get an anticipated delivery date. The representative writes out an order confirmation before moving on to the following appointment. On reception, the farmer pays for the machinery. Due of the size of Southern Africa, where CREUSE does business, reps frequently are unable to visit the company's headquarters. Hence, their price and model specification manuals may be outdated. The CREUSE Board is thinking about implementing a new information system where a portable computer will be handed to each representative. Product and price information will be stored on an intranet and accessed by the salesperson through telephone line as needed. The Intranet will also provide access to production managers and sales reps. The voice telephone system will be phased down, and email is deemed superfluous.

Required:

(a) Evaluate the proposed use of the Intranet within CREUSE showing whether it would provide an appropriate communication channel for the sales representatives. Suggest ways in which any problems you have identified with the new systems may be resolved.

(b) Identify and evaluate any Information Systems that can be used by the customers to track their orders with CREUSE while they are being manufactured.